Apparatus for flue dust removal



Aug. 14, 1945. J. BUCK ET AL V 7 2,382,855

APPARATUS FOR FLUE DUST REMOVAL Filed Feb. 11, 1943 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l 1 ll INVENTORSI Zuf/zerf Bar/f y iar/ s If. (k

H TTOIFNE) Patented Aug. 14, 1945- Luther J. Buck and Charles E.

Veatch, Alton, Ill.,

assignors to American smelting and Refining Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application February 11, 1943, Serial No. 475,588 4 Claims. (Cl. 2-66-15) This invention relates to apparatus for removal of dust from the fines of metallurgical furnaces, more particularly from the balloon flues of furnaces of the Scotch-hearth type.

In this country the Scotch-hearth furnace is used for smelting certain types of lead ores. Cona, furnace of this typ comprises a ventionally,

narrow, relatively shallow trough or basin of some length having a flat sloping apron at its front and a liquid cooled jacket extending substantially vertically at its rear forming a back for the hearth.

Suitable tuyeres are provided for introducing air to the charge in the trough, the charge of ore being provided with a carbonaceous material if necessary to in which the charge is provide combustible to produce the necessary heat to smelt the charge. Th trough smelted is covered with a hood which is connected by suitable conduits to a relatively large balloon flue-into which the products of combustion from the charge in the trough are carried.

.(For a more detailed, discussion of smelting of ores in a Scotch-hearth, see paper by L. J. Buck, 121 Trans. A. I. M. E.

In the operation of the Scotch-hearth furnace of this type, the balloon flue is maintained under a slight vacuum or suction; it

water. Hence, the products of the charge in the trough are balloon flue.

tion there is carried a being common to provide a vacuum of the order of one inch of combustion from carried into the With these products of combusquantity of dust from the charge. This dust which includes recoverable metal values, collects in the balloon flue and more generally in hoppers along the flue, and is removed therefrom from time to time. It is afterwards treated to recover the metal values.

is common practice to mix the colwith the charge and in that way it this end, it lected dust 0 many instances have been appreciable, and the .workmen'having the task of removing and han- (Sling the dust have not taken well to this work,

in the vicinity where they must labor. Obvious air contaminated with dust is conducive to a condition hazardous to their health.

vi bination with the conventional In accordance with this invention, d apparatus which may be utilized in comthere is pro- Scotch-hearth v The lower sleeve ther treatment of the dust to recover the metal' values therefrom.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is provided a sectional telescopic sleeveconstructed so that it may, by means of a slotted ring engaging studs on the outlets of the hopper, be readily attached to and detached from the various hoppers along the balloon flue. The bottom end of the lower sleeve mounts a readily replaceable canvas skirtfor purposes of providing a dust seal, and in the top end of the upper sleeve there is provided a suitable spray pipe through whicha regulated quantity of water is sprayed as the dust is drawn from the hopper. mounts handles by means of which this sleeve may be gradually raised as the dust begins to fall. Thus, for example, a tip or dump car which is ordinarily used to transport the dust about the plant, may be placed under a hopper and. gradually filled while maintaining the canvas skirt in effective sealing engagement with the surface of the pile of dust as it fills the car. shaped to facilitate lifting the device above the heads of the workmen without undue-effort or stretch. The upper sleeve has a hinged door on either side through which a bar or hoe Or other suitable tool may be-inserted to dislodge or rake down dust from the flue that does not readily flow.

After a car is filled with dust or when it is desired to move the device to another hopper, the

lower sleeve may be raised to its maximum height and locked to the upper sleeve by means of suit- I able latches. -In this position the upper sleeve and consequently readily detached another hopper manner.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention are more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself, as to its objects and the telescopic sleeve may be from the hopper and moved to where it is used in the same advantages, and the manner in which it may be constructed or carried out may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, in which:

The dust may be The ends of these handles are suitably Fig. 1 is a view in elevation, partly in section, showing an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in cross section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, but on a larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a view in cross section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, the lower sleeve, however, being shown in its uppermost position.

- l4 connected by means of a suitable conduit [I to the balloon flue l8. Conduit l5 carries the products of combustion or fume from the trough into the flue. A ventilating hood I'I connected to stack i8 is mounted over the apron l l.

The balloon flue I6 is provided with a funnelshaped hopper it which terminates in a preferably square or rectangular-shaped discharge outlet designated generally by reference numeral 20.

The outlet 20 is defined by walls 2i, 22, 23, 24 providing a hopper neck around which is fixedly secured a flanged collar 25 having a flange is. The flanged collar provides means for mounting on the outlet 20 of the hopper it, an adapter which is designated generally by reference character 28.

.The adapter 26 comprises a flanged up r portion 21 provided with a flange 28 which registers with the flange i {of collar 25. The adapter may be securely attached to the hopper outlet in any desirable manner, as by bolts 29 passing through registering apertures in'the flange l9 and the flange 23. The adapter terminates in a circular, downwardly protruding neck portion 30. A gate or slide 3|, slidingly movable ina slot 32, provides means for closing ofl communication between the flue hopper and the outside and also for forming a stop to retain dust collected in the flue at times when the operation of dust removal from the hopper is suspended. The gate may be opened the desired amount for dust removal by moving the Slide 3| in and out through the slot 32. If leverage is desired, a level tool 33 may ex-" tend through the outer end of the slide.-

The top end of an upper discharge sleeve 34 terminates ina slotted ring 35 forming a collar to register with and flt over the downwardly pro truding neck portion 30 of the adapter 23. The

slots 36 of which there are two shown, spaced 180 apart, have a horizontal portion 31 and a vertical portion 33 which provides passageway forstuds :33 secured to the neck 30 of the adapter. These studs arespaced 180 apart so as to register with the slots 36. It will now be observed that-the slotted ring 35 may be readily attached to the neck of the adapter. by registering the studs with the vertical portion of the slots and lifting the ring while giving it a part turn so that the studs 39 engage the'horizontal portion 31 of the slots. A reverse movement will readily disengage the ring and hence the sleeve 34 from the adapter neck 30.

Mounted in the upper sleeve 34 is an annular spray pipe 4i provided with spray apertures 42. It has been found ex;

pedient to locate these openings in such manner that they direct a plurality of streams of liquid interior portion of theinwardly at about 15 from the horizontal. The

spray pipe 4| may be mounted on brackets 43 fixed to the interior surface of the sleeve 34. The annular spray pipe 4! is suitably connected with a nipple 44 to a valve 4!- which may be connected by means or a nipple 41 to a disengageable flexible water hose 43.

The upper sleeve 34 is also provided with a door 33 on either side. The dooris suitably hinged at the bottom by merely offsetting an extended tongue II which will extend through the opening 52 in the wall of the sleeve 34. and rest on the bottom edge of the opening as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The door is slightly larger in area than the opening 52 .and may be locked against the sleeve by means of a hinged hasp B3 adaptedto register with a keeper 54. The upper end of the door 33 is provided with a small aperture I to accommodate a hoe handle or other tool which may be used sleeve I56. These sleeves may be constructed of comparatively thin gauged metal and reinforced by means of suitable rings such as those shown by reference characters 51, I3, 59 and 83 which may be secured in place, as by welding.

The upper end of the lower sleeve 53 is. provided with two latches. Each latch ii is pivotally mounted on a pivot which may be in the form of a rivet 82 extending through the wall of the sleeve 56. The pivot also securely and fixedly mounts a guide piece 33 which is provided with a notch 84 designed to register with and engage a latch stud 65 secured to the wall of the sleeve 34. Each latch ii is provided with a notch 33 to engage and hook over corresponding stud 35. 'Hence, when the lower sleeve is raised to its uppermost position as shown in Fig. 3, each guide piece 63 engages its corresponding stud 65 and notch 34 registers with it; Latch 8| may be rotated on the pivot 62 and the' notch 33 registers with and hooks over its corresponding stud 33 to hold the lower sleeve, in raised position. This arrangement prevents rotation of the sleeves relative to one another when in locked position.

Clamped to the lower end of sleeve 33, as by 'men to raise the lower sleeve or the entire telescopic sleeve part of the device above their heads without undue stretch.

In describing the operation anduse of the invention, it may be assumed, first, that the telescopic sleeves are locked so that the lower sleeve is raised. This devicemay be lifted so that the vertical slots engage the studs 39 and the ring 3! is given a slight turn so that the telescopic discharge sleeves are secured to the adapter 23. A tip or dump car is moved under the sleeves. The latches 3| are unhooked from the studs 33 and the lower sleeve permitted to move downwardly until the canvas skirt engages the bottom of the bed. of the car (see Fig. 1). Slide 3i of the adapter is moved out to open up the hopper outlet. 11 the dust 48 does not readily flow out of the hopper, a hoe or other tool may be inserted through the door opening 52, the door closed and the dust scraped down. The dust will then readily fall from the hopper opening, through the passageway of the adapter into the discharge conduit and finally into the car. In the meantime a regulated amount of water may, if desired, be fed through the spray pipe ll to wet down" the dust to reduce its tendency to fly about. As the car is gradually filled with dust, the lower sleeve 3d is progressively raised, it being preferable to maintain the flexible skirt 6! in engagement with the surface of the pile of dust to obtain the effect of a dust seal. In this manner, the dust is kept under control and will not fly about in suspension in the ambient air.

After the dust has been removed from the flue, the slide at is closed to form a stopper for the flue outlet. The lovger sleeve 56 is raised and locked in uppermost position as shown in Fig. 3. Ring 35 is given a partial turn to disengage it from the studs 39. Then the device may be readily carried. by the worbnen to another hopper where it is attached and used in the same manner as described.

While certain novel features of the invention.

have been described and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. In a device of the character described for removal of dust from the flue of a metallurgical furnace, a telescopic dust discharge conduit having an inner and an outer sleeve, said outer sleeve concentricall mounted to slide up'and down on said inner sleeve, an upwardly extending ring on the upper end of one of said sleeves, a flexible skirt on the lower end of the other of said sleeves, means to temporarily lock said sleeves to prevent relative movement one with the other, a spray pipe providing means for wetting down dust removed from said hue, and an adapter to connect said discharge conduit to said flue.

2. In a device of the character described for removal of dust from the flue of a metallurgical furnace, a downwardly extending neck having protruding studs thereon, a telescopic dust discharge conduit having an inner and an outer sleeve, said outer sleeve concentrically mounted to slide up and down on said inner sleeve, an upwardly extending ring on the upper end of one of said sleeves and engaging said neck, said ring having a cut-away portion to engage said studs whereby said conduit may be readily attachedto and detached from said neck, a flexible skirt on the lower end ofthe other of said sleeves, means said portions providing passageway for dust from said opening, a slidable gate in said adapter for opening and closing said passageway, a telescopic discharge conduit having an'inner sleeve and an outer sleeve concentrically mounted and slidable on said inner sleeve, a, slotted collar on the upper end of said inner sleeve engaging said downwardly extending neck portion, studs on the neck registering with and engaging said slots in said collar whereby the telescopic conduit may be easily attached to and detached from said adapter, and a water spray pipe mounted in said inner sleeve providing means for wetting down dust passing therethrough.

4. A device of the character described which comprises, in combination, a metallurgical furnace having a flue in which dust collects, a dust collecting hopper in said flue, means on said hopper defining a dust removal opening; an adapter secured to said means, said adapter comprising an upper portion engaging said means and a downwardly extending circular neck portion, said portions providing passageway for dust from said opening, a slidable gate in said adapter for opening and closing said passageway, a telescopic discharge conduit having an inner sleeve and an outer sleeve concentrically mounted, said outer sleeve being slidable on said inner sleeve, a slotted collar on the upper end of said inner sleeve engaging said downwardly extending neck portion, studs on the neck registering with and engaging said slots in said collar whereby the telescopic conduit may be easily attached to and detached from said adapter, a water spray pipe mounted in said inner sleeve providing means for wetting down dust passing therethrough, a door mounted on the wall of said inner sleeve for insertion of a tool, latch studs mounted on the wall of said inner sleeve and a latch mounted on said outer sleeve engageable with said latch studs to lock said outer sleeve to prevent relative movement between said two sleeves, a handle for raising said outer sleeve and a flexible skirt mounted on the lower end of said outer sleeve.

LUTHER JIBUCK. CHARLES E. VEATCH. 

